The continuing emphasis in modern storage systems is on providing the capability to store increasing amounts of information in newer versions of desktop and laptop computers as they become available. Thus, it is not unusual to find current computers with installed hard drives capacities in excess of 500 megabytes and, in some instances, a gigabyte or more. That amount of storage is needed to hold the usual complement of very large operating system and application programs in use today and still leave room for data files, sound files, click art and utility programs, as well as virtual storage capability. When the storage demands of data, graphic, video and sound files are added to the cumulative space taken up by the operating system and a user's application and utility programs, it is understandable that such large storage devices are needed.
The difficulty with such hard drives is that the overwhelming majority of them are non-removable. When a user wants to transport a large number of files to another system not directly coupled to or on the same network as the source computer, the only way to do so was through use of a large number of 3.5 inch, 1.44 megabyte capacity floppy diskettes, which remains the default removable media for most desktop and laptop suppliers and users in use today. Within the last few years, high capacity magnetic and optical drives and media therefor became available so that those who were able to utilize such devices could transfer a significant number of large files to a single media having capacities of many megabytes for backup purposes and/or use in a remote computer system.
Available as internal or external to the computer system they served, these added high capacity devices were helpful, but still not an optimum solution for transporting large amounts of information since they were, in fact, a supplemental device that was usually purchased in the aftermarket, required its own space and had to be easily installed by the user. In addition, such high capacity drives only accepted a special ultra high density media, not the common 3.5 inch, 1.44 megabyte floppy diskette.
One solution to the problems posed by the high capacity drives is the a:drive from OR Technology Inc. of Campbell, Calif. While its outward appearance is almost indistinguishable from that of 3.5 inch, 1.44 megabyte floppy diskette drives, the a:drive provides 120 megabytes of storage on ultra high density diskettes, known as LS-120 media. At the same time, the a:drive product is compatible with current and legacy 3.5 inch technology and can read and write to both 720 kilobyte and 1.44 megabyte diskettes. As its name implies, the a:drive can serve as a bootable drive in any system in which it is installed.
Employing a precision positioning system for accurately driving an optically based dual-gap head that accommodates the differing track densities of conventional and ultra high density diskettes without error or mishap, the a:drive fits into the one inch height spacing occupied by 3.5 inch media drives. It also uses the same cable as the systems hard drive and so can readily serve a dual information storage role without impacting the recent emphasis on reducing size and weight while simultaneously requiring dual storage capability has impacted devices such as the a:drive. The push to a one-half inch height, low profile configuration for diskette drives has created size restrictions and other requirements that cannot be met by currently available head positioning mechanisms and space consuming optical sensing arrangements. A desire to make the newer devices more compact effective as well as more cost effective has forced designers to change or abandon prior positioning systems in search of substitutes that are as accurate, smaller and more economical.